No relief for discoms; HC defers hearing on CAG audit

The Delhi High Court today deferred the hearing on the plea by three private discoms to stay the city government’s decision asking the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to audit their accounts.

A bench comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw fixed July 22 as the next date of hearing.

The bench was hearing a batch of petitions, including three appeals filed by TPDDL and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group firms, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd.

The discoms moved the larger bench of the court against its single judge’s order of January 24 refusing to stall their CAG audit and asking them to “fully cooperate with the Comptroller and Auditor General in the audit process”.

Besides these pleas, the court is also hearing a PIL filed by NGO United RWAs Joint Action, seeking CAG audit of the discoms’ accounts.

The single judge bench, which did not stay the CAG audit, however, had said that the report of the audit will not be released without the court’s permission.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, had said that a DERC audit of a discom had revealed massive fudging of accounts and the NGO had also sought action against those involved.

The three private firms came into being in 2002 when the then Delhi government decided to privatise power distribution.

Delhi discoms are a 51:49 per cent joint venture between the private companies and the Delhi government.